By Anna Kaminski | reporter
Good morning!
Happy Friday. Looks like cooler temperatures are on the horizon next week, so don’t forget to enjoy some of the year’s final summer moments, whatever that may look like for you. Have a good weekend.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
Kansas Supreme Court reverses convictions for failure to pay $20 administrative fee
TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court reversed convictions of a Wyandotte County man who filled out an offender registry form as required by state law but was convicted of misdemeanor and felony offenses because he repeatedly failed to pay the mandatory $20 fee.
The latest intervention by the Supreme Court followed previous rulings by a district court judge, the Kansas Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court regarding Terrance Sims’ conviction on two felonies and one misdemeanor for not paying the administrative fee.
Submitted by Charter Communications
Cox Communications becomes part of the Spectrum brand, affecting 1,000 Kansas employees
TOPEKA — Charter Communications finalized its $34.5 billion deal to acquire Cox Communications on Thursday, and Kansans will soon see their Cox products marketed under Charter’s Spectrum brand.
Along with its Cox transaction, Charter announced completion of its purchase of Liberty Broadband Corp.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
We Kansas teachers must replace the culture of ‘no’ in this year’s classrooms
By Eric Thomas
The start of a new school year sends teachers like me back to the basics of our classes: the syllabus, the reading list and the yearlong learning goals.
As a teacher for the past two-plus decades, I feel a tension each time that I create these big plans for the year. It’s a tug of war between yes and no — between empowering students with big positive goals and limiting them with restrictive rules.
Despite record low in veteran homelessness, half the states saw increases
Veteran homelessness dipped slightly from 2024 to 2025, according to the latest results from the January 2025 point-in-time count.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 32,495 veterans experiencing homelessness, 387, or 1.2%, fewer than the previous year. HUD counted 18,877 veterans in shelters, and 13,518 living unsheltered in places not meant for habitation.
Cities turn to AI to speed housing permitting
New housing projects can sometimes stall out as a developer applies to city or county planning boards and goes through cycles of inspections, reviews and approvals.
Now, cities are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to address one of the most persistent sources of housing permitting delays: incomplete applications. And two new streams of federal money aim to help them.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
3 p.m. Sept. 26, Washburn Library in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will participate in the panel “Why UPK: University Press of Kansas Celebrates 80 Years.” Host: Kansas Book Festival.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
7 p.m. Sept. 29, Raven Book Store in Lawrence. Book release event for opinion editor Clay Wirestone’s “Opinionated.” Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will moderate.
6 p.m. Oct. 12, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks about his book and the latest news. Host: Flint Hills Books.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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